CHENNAI: First and second-year undergraduate and diploma students in government and government-aided colleges will be covered under the State government's Rs 2,000-crore Vetri Laptop Scheme, according to a government release issued on Saturday.
The government has issued eligibility guidelines and granted administrative sanction for the scheme, which was announced in the 2026-27 Budget.
Students pursuing arts and science, engineering, polytechnic, ITI, medicine, veterinary science, fisheries, agriculture and law courses will be eligible. Third- and fourth-year students pursuing professional courses who were not covered under the laptop distribution programme during 2025-26 will also be included.
Engineering students will be provided with laptops featuring Intel Core i5 processors or equivalent specifications, considering their technical requirements.
A high-level steering committee headed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will monitor the implementation of the scheme. The Tamil Nadu Electronics Corporation (ELCOT) has been given administrative approval to procure the laptops, with quality-control measures in place.
The scheme follows the DMK government's 'Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil' initiative, launched by former Chief Minister M K Stalin in January 2026. The previous government had allocated Rs 2,000 crore to distribute laptops to 20 lakh college students over two years.
In the first phase, around nine lakh students received laptops, with third- and final-year students being prioritised. The rollout, towards the end of the DMK's tenure, drew criticism for leaving out students in the first two years of the courses.
The DMK scheme also faced controversy over the printing of portraits and signatures of Stalin and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the laptops, along with slogans.